Friday, November 10, 2006
The Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) said it had approached Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa for help in mediating between itself and the Ethiopian government to end decades of sporadic conflict in remote but resource-rich Oromia region.
OLF foreign affairs chief Fido Abba said the group - denounced as terrorists by Addis Ababa - felt shunned by fellow Africans who he said had largely ignored their struggle in Ethiopia’s largest and most populous state.
"We want sympathy from the people of Africa," he said in the Kenyan capital, where he is trying to enlist Nairobi’s support.
"For years now, we have been wondering why African countries have been unwilling to take up our case," Fido said. "We are appealing to African countries to take seriously the political and military problem in Ethiopia."
"We need help," he said. "Thousands of people are fleeing from our country to neighbouring countries including unstable Somalia. This is a sign that there is a massive problem in Ethiopia."
The OLF is among several groups Ethiopian authorities accuse of being behind a string of small but deadly bombings in Addis Ababa and other cities in recent months as well as fomenting unrest along the Ethiopia-Kenya border.
The Ethiopian government also alleges that the OLF, along with another rebel group in the region, the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), and Islamist extremists from Somalia, have united under the guidance of arch-foe Eritrea to create instability in southeast Ethiopia. Fido denied the charges.
They "can say anything, but the fact is that we only get sympathy and diplomatic support from Eritrea," he said. "Concerning the Islamic movement in Somalia, we let Somalis solve their own problems."
The OLF was formed in 1973 to seek greater autonomy for Oromia region.
But it joined a coalition of rebel groups headed by now-Prime Minister Meles Zenawi that fought and toppled the Marxist, Soviet-backed regime of Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991.
After numerous disputes it quit the coalition in 1992 and started fighting the government, demanding the creation of an independent state.
In 2005, New York-based Human Rights Watch accused Addis Ababa of ruthlessly suppressing political dissent, killing hundreds of people and harassing and detaining people in the region.
Oromia, the largest and most populous region in the country, is often described as the breadbasket of Ethiopia and is home to natural resources including gold, platinum and natural gas.
Source: AFP, Nov 10, 2006